When I came across his films for the first time about four years ago, I was just amazed at his style of film-making and how a lot of his films look to be timeless. A typical Hitchcock film will consist of, interesting characters, a lot of tense moments, a cameo from Alfred himself and an abrupt and sometimes poor ending.
The London born director will probably be seen as the greatest director to never win an Oscar. Nominated 5 times, I and many others always seem shocked when we hear of his record at the Academy Awards. Despite that, his films are high up in many peoples lists of great films of all-time and this top 10 could be one of the best I've ever made.
Great films that have sadly missed out are To Catch A Thief, Spellbound, Notorious, Suspicion, Rebecca, Saboteur and many others.
Before I announce my top 10, I must say that if you are reading this and never seen or not watched many of Hitch's films, then I strongly recommend you do.
Out of his 56 films, I have seen 30 of them. I will rank all of the ones that I have seen and give a short review for each of my top 10:
30) Topaz
29) Torn Curtain
28) Secret Agent
27) The Wrong Man
26) Jamaica Inn
25) Sabotage
24) I Confess
23) Foreign Correspondent
22) Lifeboat
21) The Trouble With Harry
20) The 39 Steps
19) Marnie
18) Frenzy
17) The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
16) To Catch A Thief
15) Suspicion
14) Spellbound
13) Notorious
12) Rebecca
11) Saboteur
10) North By Northwest - When a simple working man gets mistaken for an agent by foreign spies, he is pursued across the country looking for a way to survive.
With some memorable scenes and lead by the magnificent Cary Grant, this is seen as one of Hitchcock's greats.
9) The Lady Vanishes - A real oldie and probably the breakthrough film that recognised Hitchcock's talents as a director.
When travelling across Europe, a young lady notices a passenger is missing and she gets help from several other passengers to work out this mysterious disappearance.
8) Strangers On A Train - An important film for me personally as it became the 3,000th film that I have seen. I am glad that I chose this one.
Being released almost in the middle of Hitch's 20 year strong purple patch, this definitely has all the things you know and love with the master of the suspense's film-making.
When an odd stranger bumps into a tennis star, a theory about murder is discussed, and then suddenly becomes a real plan.
7) Shadow Of A Doubt - I will never forget this first time I saw this. With its terrifying performance and the unforgettable and haunting performance by Joseph Cotton, Shadow Is A Doubt is a chilling tale.
When a young woman discovers that her uncle is not who he claims to be, it is up to her to reveal his true identity.
6) Rope - Famously set in real-time, Rope is a remarkable achievement for its time and by Hitchcock.
When two friends murder one of their classmates, they decide to hide the body in their apartment and invite his classmates friends to challenge the perfection of their crime.
5) Dial M For Murder - Only recently seen this and have been wanting to for the past couple of years.
When a husband discovers his wife is having an affair, he hires a hit-man to conduct the perfect crime.
But when things go wrong, he has to resort to Plan B.
4) Rear Window - A really interesting subject that Hitchcock has chosen.
When a photographer injures his leg, his time off consisted of him spying on his fellow residents. Over time, he begins to suspect that one of his neighbours has murdered his wife.
A great presentation into the world of voyeurism.
3) The Birds - This film really changed me and I feel it to be one of the greatest films I have ever seen.
When a wealthy lady meets a potential boyfriend, she follows him to a small costal town, where the suddenly the birds for some reason start attacking her and soon the whole town.
With one of the scariest finales I have ever seen, I will never look at birds in the same way ever again.
2) Vertigo - Another chilling a tense presentation as we see James Stewart and Kim Novak take on the leading roles.
When a retired detective that suffers from acrophobia investigates the going on of a friends wife. Over time, he suddenly becomes a bit too interested in her daily life.
1) Psycho - Hitchcock's masterpiece. This big hit from 1960 changed the way of film-making.
When a young secretary steals a large amount of money, she goes on the run and stops at this remote motel ran by a strange character that is dominated by his mother.
With one of the most memorable scenes in film, Psycho will be seen as a timeless classic.
24) I Confess
23) Foreign Correspondent
22) Lifeboat
21) The Trouble With Harry
20) The 39 Steps
19) Marnie
18) Frenzy
17) The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
16) To Catch A Thief
15) Suspicion
14) Spellbound
13) Notorious
12) Rebecca
11) Saboteur
With some memorable scenes and lead by the magnificent Cary Grant, this is seen as one of Hitchcock's greats.
When travelling across Europe, a young lady notices a passenger is missing and she gets help from several other passengers to work out this mysterious disappearance.
Being released almost in the middle of Hitch's 20 year strong purple patch, this definitely has all the things you know and love with the master of the suspense's film-making.
When an odd stranger bumps into a tennis star, a theory about murder is discussed, and then suddenly becomes a real plan.
When a young woman discovers that her uncle is not who he claims to be, it is up to her to reveal his true identity.
When two friends murder one of their classmates, they decide to hide the body in their apartment and invite his classmates friends to challenge the perfection of their crime.
When a husband discovers his wife is having an affair, he hires a hit-man to conduct the perfect crime.
But when things go wrong, he has to resort to Plan B.
When a photographer injures his leg, his time off consisted of him spying on his fellow residents. Over time, he begins to suspect that one of his neighbours has murdered his wife.
A great presentation into the world of voyeurism.
When a wealthy lady meets a potential boyfriend, she follows him to a small costal town, where the suddenly the birds for some reason start attacking her and soon the whole town.
With one of the scariest finales I have ever seen, I will never look at birds in the same way ever again.
When a retired detective that suffers from acrophobia investigates the going on of a friends wife. Over time, he suddenly becomes a bit too interested in her daily life.
When a young secretary steals a large amount of money, she goes on the run and stops at this remote motel ran by a strange character that is dominated by his mother.
With one of the most memorable scenes in film, Psycho will be seen as a timeless classic.
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